I’ve been (understandably) consumed by WildStar recently, neglecting most else in the process — including SWTOR. But yesterday it struck me that we’re less than a week away from Knights of the Fallen Empire and that I should really get off my butt and finish my Smuggler’s trip through Ziost.

Cue speed run through the recent planetary addition. After spending so much time in an action combat environment of WildStar, it was relaxing to return to a more traditional combat setup. Pew pew, toss grenade, watch bad guys die — and no excessive dodging and juking in the process.

I could’ve done without the return of Lana Beniko. It’s very uncomfortable if you romanced her at any point during Shadow of Revan, because that didn’t stick (it’s not her, it’s me). As I said to my guild last night, it’s as if the game is forcing me to keep bumping into an ex-girlfriend without having the option to strongly rebuff her or flee on sight. Let’s just say that any time she’s in a scene, my eyes get all squinty and I look for any dialogue choice that has the most acidic tone.

I’m neutral on Theron, by the way. I think the devs did a fine job giving his face more personality and expression than some NPCs, and at least he’s not an annoying Carth stand-in. I think I really annoyed both of them by killing the possessed Jedi at the end of Ziost, but it’s just something my character would’ve done. Her universe, her rules.

So anyway, that’s all wrapped up and my Smuggler is more or less ready for the expansion, alongside my Agent. I wonder if other SWTOR players have this same mixture of excitement and nervousness brewing within them. After next Tuesday, the game as we knew it won’t quite be the same again, especially as our characters graduate to the expansion’s storyline and jump ahead five years into the future (wouldn’t it be hilarious if BioWare gave all of our characters’ hair a touch of gray in the process?).

It’s weird to think that my Agent has been around since the very first day of the game. I don’t actually have many characters out there in MMOs who are launch originals, since I’m a chronic reroller. But her, she was right there at early start, through my first year with Mercy Corps, then patiently waited as I took a long break, and resumed her journeys when I came back and joined up with Nefarious Intent.

When the head start for the expansion hits, I’m going to try to balance my time between the two characters, maybe doing chapter one on each before going on to chapter two, and so on. I’m still not really sure how quickly we’ll be able to zip through the new content, but when it’s done, it’ll be done until 2016, so it would be nice to have enough for a couple of months of casual gaming at least.

I am really looking forward to seeing what will happen with the companion system, to getting new gear (and visuals), and mostly to a new story. What say you?

I also feel that mix of anticipation and nervousness. I’m actually kind of hoping that it will turn out to be like SWTOR’s previous expansions in the sense that, at its core, the game won’t actually feel dramatically different despite of everything they’re changing. I like the current game. 😉

mystyrysOctober 15, 2015 / 1:50 pm

I am excited for the new expansion to come out! I had one level 60 Consular that I’ve had since launch day and a smattering of alts that were in their 20s to 40s. I’m a slow leveler, casual player, and took a couple long breaks since launch. Took advantage of 12x XP and have three 60s now and seven 50+. Ready for KotFE! 😀

talismanAUOctober 16, 2015 / 2:28 am

I came back from a long break to play my Bounty Hunter I started at launch. Right now he’s into the Hutt content but I hope to be on the Revan content next week. I got a bit obsessed this week with a new look and cosmetics. Previously I had made it to 50 let my subscription run out and went and played other MMOs.

I’m also excited by the prospect of SWTOR being revitalised by new content. Less micro managing my companions and gear and just enjoying the content and game in a living world with others. Hopefully the expansion will be a refelction of the movies fun and adventure with a cracking story.

This week I finally got round to pushing the first of my 16 level 60s through Ziost.

As a chronic altoholic (thanks City of Heroes) I tend to get a character to level cap and then start the next one. As Ziost is kinda post-60 I just hadn’t bothered. I guess I should push a few more through so they’re ready for the new content but I’ve been getting characters 19 and 20 to 55 before the 12x XP goes away.

New character slots opening up however….I might just have to see what the “streamlined” levelling experience is like. I was going to wait for playable Nautolans but that could be another couple of years with the rate SWTOR does things

After one of our free-to-air channels started airing the Star Wars series of movies weekly, one by one (presumably in preparation for the new movie, though that’s still a ways off), I got really nostalgic for SWTOR and decided to come back and finally get at least one of my characters through Makeb and Shadows of Revan, and ready for the expansion. Was initially going to go with my Consular, but just as I did when I first rolled my characters, I quickly grew bored of his complete lack of personality and switched to my Smuggler. Oh how I love my Smuggler and his snark. Smashed through Makeb in short order, then spent a day confusedly sorting through the huge amount of quests to unlock dailies and flashpoints before ultimately deciding to kick all that to the side and go straight on to Revan. I think I’m about a third of the way through that now, so I should be all set to take Captain Llokk into the expansion when it hits. Looking forward to it 🙂

I am not prepared… sorry, wrong expansion. Wring game, even 🙂
I re-subbed to SWTOR to get all the goodies, but actually haven’t logged in or even patched up properly. I’ll have to rectify that, as I’m actually more excited by this than I am by the GW2 expansion (which I have pre-ordered. I finished Makeb on my Sith Assassin, but I’ve a ways to go yet on most of the old stories as well as having the new one to get to grips with.